One Pan Frozen Fish Dish

I read an article recently about how flash frozen fish is as fresh, if not more fresh, than what you buy in the fish department at even the best grocery stores.  Those fish too, although sold thawed and ready to cook, have previously been frozen.  Then you're obligated to purchase and cook them within a day or two.  I had tried frozen fish before, but wasn't happy with the outcome.

This time, I bought a Costco-size bag of frozen mahi mahi, individually wrapped, thinking that if it worked, it would save me a special trip to Whole Foods to prepare dinner.  And it worked!

Tonight I defrosted some fillets - as directed on the package.  I just soaked them in their packaging in water for 20 minutes or so.  Meanwhile, I chopped onion, shred a yellow squash, grated some ginger and covered it all with Rao's sauce.  I heated that in the oven while the mahi mahi defrosted.  Delicious dinner with little fuss, and no trips to the store.  Perfect!

Ingredients:
MahiMahi fillets - defrosted, sprinkled with salt and pepper
1/2 large Vidalia onion, chopped in large pieces
1 yellow squash shredded spaghetti style (I used a zester - you can use a vegetate)
2 Tbsp grated ginger
Rao's sauce to cover

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Bake the vegetables for about 15 minutes, until bubbly.

2) Turn heat down to 375 degrees.  Add the fillets to the casserole and cover with sauce.  Bake for about 5-6 minutes on each side, until cooked through.

That's it!
For more info and recipes for mahi mahi, check this out :
http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/mahi-mahi-healthy-5223.html

one pan fish dinner - 7/9/2018

'Tsimmes' Chicken with prunes and apricots

From Epicurious for Passover
https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/tzimmes-chicken-with-apricots-prunes-and-carrots?mbid=nl_cookthisnow&mbid=nl_03252018_Daily_CTN_FromEpi%20(1)&CNDID=4649318&spMailingID=13175910&spUserID=MTI5MTUxMDQ1NzYwS0&spJobID=1362071861&spReportId=MTM2MjA3MTg2MQS2

This holiday-ready dinner has all the flavors of tzimmes, the traditional Jewish sweet side dish made with stewed dried fruits and honey. Roasted on baking sheets with colorful young carrots, this recipe feeds a crowd with minimal effort, giving you plenty of time for stress-free hosting.

It is delicious but on the sweet side.  I don't think I'd be able to advocate for this as a healthy meal exactly, but it IS tasty!  And, as with many dishes, much better the next day, and the day after that.  It can use a lot of plain grain or potato to go with it. I used bulgur and it worked well, soaking up the sauce.  I might try it again and include potatoes in the pan. The little bit of cayenne gives it a good kick.  The dried fruit become very soft and tasty.

Ingredients:

2 whole chickens (about 4 pounds), broken down into 8 pieces, wings and backbones reserved for another use

4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 pounds carrots, preferably young carrots with greens attached, halved lengthwise or quartered if large
1 large red onion, cut into 1/2" wedges
12 garlic cloves, peeled
8 ounces dried apricots (about 1 1/2 cups)
8 ounces dried prunes (about 1 1/2 cups)
20 sprigs thyme
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
Parsley leaves with tender stems (optional, for serving)

Directions:

1) Arrange racks in top and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 400°F. Season chicken pieces with 2 tsp. salt.
2) Whisk honey, oil, lemon juice, pepper, cinnamon, cumin, cayenne, and remaining 2 tsp. salt in a large bowl. Add chicken pieces, carrots, onion, garlic, apricots, prunes, and thyme and toss to combine.
3) Divide everything EXCEPT chicken between 2 rimmed baking sheets. Stir wine and 1/2 cup water in a 2-cup measuring cup, then pour half over each sheet.
4) Cover sheets tightly with foil. Roast 15 minutes, then remove from oven.
5) Remove foil, divide chicken between sheets, and continue to roast, rotating sheets top to bottom halfway through, until carrots are fork-tender, chicken is golden brown, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a breast registers 165°F, 30–35 minutes (if some pieces of chicken are finished before others, transfer them to a serving platter).
6) Transfer chicken mixture to serving platter. Pour pan juices over. Top with carrot greens or parsley before serving.

Calories772
Carbohydrates78 g(26%)
Fat38 g(58%)
Protein33 g(65%)
Saturated Fat9 g(43%)
Sodium1136 mg(47%)
Polyunsaturated Fat7 g
Fiber7 g(28%)
Monounsaturated Fat20 g
Cholesterol116 mg(39%)
per serving (8 servings)

Onion Roasted Chicken

One pot roasted chicken and vegetables.  Looks great for a shabbat dinner.

http://passthechallah.com/popular-recipe-2016-onion-roasted-chicken/

slow cooker suggestions

Washington Post suggestions for recipes to make in slow cooker.  These can be adapted:

Smoky Black Bean and Sweet potato chili
https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/smoky-black-bean-and-sweet-potato-chili/15086/?utm_term=.90783cd5d670

Red lentil chili
https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/red-lentil-chili/16104/?utm_term=.eff46e217da7

Orange Black Beans with Cumin
https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/orange-black-beans-with-cumin/7647/?utm_term=.5d5cf5e1daa5

One Pan Mango Teriyaki Chicken and Veggies

http://athleticavocado.com/2017/01/01/one-pan-mango-teriyaki-chicken-veggies-whole-30-paleo/
from HH recipe blog

ONE PAN MANGO TERIYAKI CHICKEN & VEGGIES

Tender chicken thighs and roasted veggies are glazed with a sweet mango teriyaki sauce for a an easy and incredibly tasty dinner that only uses one pan! You would never guess that this super easy meal is whole30 and paleo friendly either!

12/27/18   Sooooo - we used chicken breasts, which came out dry - but we probably should have doubled the sauce and lowered the oven temperature.

One VERY good change we made was that we followed Brendon's suggestion to add an eggplant to the veggie mix.  Be aware that all of these veggies, including the eggplant were just enough for about 4 people.  They shrink - a lot! The sauce is tasty with a bit of a kick from the pepper flakes, but the spice seems just right.

One Pan Mango Teriyaki Chicken & Veggies {Whole 30 + Paleo}

Ingredients:
5-6 skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of visible fat
4 cups broccoli florets
3 red or mixed bell peppers, cored and sliced into strips
5 carrots, sliced
1 eggplant, peeled, quartered and sliced - my favorite

Mango Teriyaki Sauce:
2 cups chopped mango
1/3 cup coconut aminos - or tamari
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (or coconut vinegar)
2 Tbsp. sesame oil
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
sesame seeds for sprinkling
mango chunks (optional)

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2) Line a large baking sheet with foil. Spray with cooking spray and set aside.

3) Place broccoli, red pepper slices and carrots in a large bowl. Set aside.

4) Using a food processor, puree mango chunks. Combine with all other ingredients for teriyaki sauce in a bowl. Whisk until well mixed.

5) Place chicken thighs on foil lined sheet pan. Brush sauce over both sides of each chicken thigh, coating well.

6) Add remaining sauce to bowl of veggies and mix thoroughly. Spoon around chicken thighs in an single layer. Sprinkle with sesame seeds

7) Bake for 35 minutes, or until done. Serve with more mango chunks, if desired.
Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Chicken with Grand Marnier

Adapted from  Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Recipes for Kindle

As always, I skipped all the prep steps.  I use my slow cooker for times when there's no time!

This was described as a recipe that's good enough for elegant party fare.  I can vouch for the fact that it smells really good!

The author explains that Grand Marnier is a combination of Cognac and bitter oranges grown in Haiti.  The dish cooks up especially sweet as the alcohol is cooked off.  Glazed walnuts are supposed to be added as a topping, but (besides forgetting to prepare them), I felt the dish was sweet enough to use plain walnuts.  I served it over farro, which is a perfect grain to soak up the sauce.

That makes for a lot of protein between the chicken, farro (10 grams per serving) and walnuts, so feel free to omit the nuts or use just a small portion of chicken per serving.

6-8 servings, chicken breasts shredded

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted briefly in microwave - optional
4 large chicken breasts - I used boneless, skinless
8 cloves garlic
2 large onions, cut in half and sliced into half-moons
2 cups red bell pepper strips (2-3 peppers)
1.5 tsp salt or more to taste
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste
1 cup Grand Marnier (it was delicious with this, but probably can do with a little less)
1/3 cup glazed walnut halves (or plain)


Directions:

1) Coat the bottom of the slow cooker with the melted butter.
2) Place the onions and red pepper in the slow cooker.  Put the chicken on top (skin side up if using skin).
3) Sprinkle with the salt and pepper.  Pour the Grand Marnier over it.
4) Cook on HIGH 4.5 -5 hours until chicken is tender and cooked through.  Before serving, I chose to pull the chicken apart, as shown above, so it can soak up the sauce.
5) To serve, place grain on plate, cover with onion and pepper, the top with chicken and sprinkle with a few walnuts.

Thai Pineapple and Chicken

In my quest for simple recipes, I tried this dish in the oven, instead of sautéing the ingredients separately.  Combining the raw ingredients and adding vegetable broth for moisture allows you to toss together a salad, prepare a grain and set the table before the timer goes off on your chicken dish.  I use a vegetarian fish sauce and a sweet Thai garlic chili sauce, both pictured below and available at H Mart or Great Wall.  They combine to make just a mildly spicy sauce.  Of course, it's easy to adjust those sauces to taste, as well as to change the vegetables in the dish.  Consider using snow peas, for instance.

Addendum 7/8/18 - Stir fried, using chicken that had already been baked, and added after the vegetables were partially done.  Used fresh pineapple and no broth.  Very quick and delicious --

Makes 6 servings
Ingredients:
1 1/2pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red pepper, seeded and cut into chunks
1 onion peeled and cut into chunks
2 cups of broccoli florets and stems
2 cups pineapple chunks, fresh or canned, but do not add the juice
juice of 1 lime
2 Tbsp vegetarian fish sauce
3-4 Tbsp Thai chili sauce  (adjust to taste)
1/2 cup low sodium vegetable broth, more as needed to keep moist

1/4 cup chopped cilantro (optional)
4 cups cooked brown rice

Directions:
1) Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly grease a large casserole baking dish.  Put in all of the ingredients from the chicken down to the broth.  Toss and add more broth as needed.

2) Check at about 15 minutes and add more broth if needed to keep ingredients moist.  Continue to cook another 15 minutes.

3) Remove from the oven and allow to cool.  Add cilantro if using.  Serve over rice.

Lentil stew in the slow cooker

This season, I plan to increase my use of the slow cooker in order to simplify food prep and minimize take-out.  I'd like to help you do the same.   Almost always, when I use a recipe meant for the slow cooker, I ignore any directions to saute any ingredients before adding them.  The way I see it, this is not going to be a gourmet meal.  This is meant to save time.  I also don't pay too much attention to adding ingredients at different times.  If some items are softer than they are meant to be, oh well!  As a rule, though, I avoid putting boneless chicken in these dishes, as it does get too dried out.  Bone-in chicken does also, but not to the same degree.  In this dish, the lentils contain enough protein to count as a main dish.

This stew will keep well in the refrigerator for up to one week.  In fact today, at one week, it tastes better than before.  It can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.  Defrost and serve for an instant healthy lunch or dinner

Makes 12 servings
Ingredients:
3 cups dried lentils (1 pound), rinsed and sorted
3 1/2 cups water
2 1/2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
14 oz diced tomatoes
1 large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
2 medium carrots, halved lengthwise and sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tsp dried marjoram
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

4-5 cups hot cooked couscous

Directions:
1) Put all the ingredients in a slow cooker.  Be sure there is plenty of room for the ingredients to expand without overflowing.  Stir to blend.  Cove and cook on low for 8-9 hours or until vegetables are tender.

2) Stir in oil and vinegar.  Serve over couscous.